The Tainan City Government organized the “Tainan English Reading Festival” to help city residents improve their English abilities. As part of the festival, it designed “The Reading Hunger Games” online reading challenge for adults and junior high school students. During a commencement address at Stanford University, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously told graduating students to “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” This quote served as the slogan for the challenge and successfully attracted the participation of residents. The organizer says it has already prepared the prizes and all residents who have collected enough points can begin getting the barcodes for prize redemption. The barcodes can be exchanged for prizes at designated locations starting on Sept. 10.

The Tainan City Government’s Office of English as the Second Official Language (OEASOL) says it specially designed five online challenges to attract the interest of city residents in participating in English reading activities. The challenges are “The Island That Caught on Fire,” “Mockingjay Island,” “The Literary Country,” “Mockingjay Island Paradise,” and “The Place Where Rivers Converge.” Katniss, the main character of the well-known “The Hunger Games” novels, is guiding everyone in exploring this English reading world to “gain willpower and wisdom in this battle.” City residents can choose between reading, reciting, and submitting book reviews to obtain points and flash cards featuring Tainan attractions. Once they accumulate enough points to redeem prizes, a button to “exchange points for great prizes” appears in their online account and they can click the button to get barcodes to redeem prizes. They can choose between redeeming their prizes at designated locations and continuing to collect points.

City residents who take part in the reading challenge and collect 30 points can redeem these points for an L folder (limited quantity of 1,992). Those who earn 50 points can convert them into a Formosan black bear coin purse (limited quantity of 1,489). Those who accumulate 80 points can cash the points in for a synthetic canvas beverage sleeve featuring Tainan’s historic stores (limited quantity of 484). As for junior high school readers, they too have the opportunity to exchange their points for fantastic prizes. Moreover, the student from each grade who accumulates the highest number of points will receive a certificate and an “Expert Reader Medal.”

The OEASOL thanks E.SUN Financial Holding Company for sponsoring the black bear coin purses. It says all the prizes are ready to be handed out. Barcodes for prize redemption will be issued from now until Sept. 5 (Thursday) to estimate the number of prizes that will be distributed. People can pick up the prizes at the designated locations starting on Sept. 10 (Tuesday). Those who have not yet registered for the reading challenge are encouraged to seize this opportunity!